Researchers have developed a new material that can capture certain gases released during nuclear fuel reprocessing at ambient temperature, potentially saving energy and reducing costs. The material, known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has the potential to improve nuclear fuel recycling and waste reduction.
A new analysis of a group of bacteria called Streptomyces reveals the way some strains developed advanced abilities to tear up cellulose and points out more efficient ways to make fuel from plant material. The study identifies important enzymes and new groups of enzymes produced when Streptomyces flex particular genes.
Researchers at ETH Zurich successfully upgraded methane into methyl bromide, a base material for fuels and chemicals, through oxybromination chemistry. The new catalyst, vanadium phosphate, enables closed-bromine recycling, making the process more efficient and environmentally friendly.
The study reveals ULK1 and ULK2 control protein movement from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, maintaining cellular homeostasis. Restoring this process quelled ER stress response in cells deficient in the two enzymes.
Researchers at Université de Genève identified a protein Mac1 that plays a key role in recycling photosystem I components to recover iron. In response to nutrient deficiencies, the alga dismantles its photosystems and recycles some of their components.
A new framework proposes that rapid marsh bank sediment build-up does not equate to increased land loss resilience, according to researchers from LSU and Boston University. The study suggests that natural sediment recycling processes in marsh channels may be overestimated when vertical accretion rates are compared to sea-level rise.
Scientists discover that temperature inversions and low-level atmospheric phenomena isolate the ice surface from the atmosphere, recycling water vapor and halting loss or gain of ice. This process, known as boundary-layer recycling, occurs in the center of Greenland's ice sheet and is surprisingly efficient.
Scientists observed anomalous sinking phenomena in apparently fixed powder beds due to local fluidization. The final sunken depth varied with sphere density and air strength. This discovery could lead to the development of dry-type gravity separation technology for separating three objects with different densities.
A new study finds that excessive algae growth in coral reefs causes microbes to dominate the food chain, depleting oxygen and releasing harmful pathogens. This leads to a runaway feedback loop, further coral death and ecosystem collapse. The research highlights the impact of human activities on coral reef ecosystems.
Researchers at Kyung Hee University propose a model to recycle lithium ion batteries into energy storage units for solar-powered LED lamps, reducing e-waste and providing job opportunities. The system can light up a room for about five hours each day, lasting approximately three years without maintenance.
Researchers at Hiroshima University discovered a new role for the gene Rab6 in cell polarity, which directs proteins to specific sides of cells. The study found that Rab6 distinguishes between proteins destined for different parts of the cell, shedding light on how cells maintain their orientation.
A study by Pamela Norum found that millennials are more likely to donate clothing rather than throwing it away, with 65% donating at least some clothing to charity. Older adults were less likely to recycle textiles, instead sending clothes to landfills.
Researchers discovered the organic cation transporter CarT is necessary for maintaining histamine levels in fruit fly brains, ensuring normal vision. Disrupting this process led to impaired vision and behavioral abnormalities in flies.
Research shows carbon footprint labels influence consumer choice, with usage-related emissions being most important factor. Consumers value recycling and prefer manufacturers to offset emissions, rather than taking direct action.
A stem cell study published in Stem Cell Reports has discovered that the GBA1 mutation creates problems with protein processing and recycling in cells, leading to an accumulation of alpha-synuclein. This excess protein is released into the brain, contributing to Parkinson's spread and symptoms.
The USABC has awarded a $1 million contract to WPI to scale up a novel process for recycling lithium-ion batteries. The process recovers cathode materials, which can be reused in new batteries at a significant cost reduction.
Research from the University of Southampton found that man-made sounds can alter the behavior of seabed creatures, impacting nutrient recycling and carbon storage. Exposure to certain sounds can cause species to reduce irrigation and sediment turnover, leading to reduced oxygen levels and potentially affecting seabed productivity.
Researchers are testing whether recycling and repurposing building materials can revitalize a distressed Great Lakes community. The project aims to create an economic cluster by identifying industries that can maximize material reuse and resale. By doing so, it could provide jobs and boost local economy.
Researchers at University of Bath found that life transitions like moving house can provide a window of opportunity to instill better environmental behaviors, such as recycling and energy use. The study suggests that targeted interventions during these times are more effective than blanket campaigns.
Research from the Buck Institute suggests that excess iron impairs cellular recycling in Parkinson's disease, resulting in toxic oxidative stress. The study highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of iron within cells to prevent neurodegeneration.
Researchers at Scripps Research Institute and UC Berkeley have made a breakthrough in understanding the proteasome, a molecular machine responsible for breaking down toxic proteins. The new study reveals how a crucial enzyme, Rpn11, is activated to remove harmful proteins from cells, providing potential new therapies for diseases such ...
A Norwegian University of Science and Technology study reveals that preventing food waste is more effective than recycling it into biogas in cutting energy impacts. The research also highlights the importance of phosphorus conservation as a key benefit of reducing food waste.
A team of MIT researchers has developed a novel way to recycle unwanted infrared light from thermal emitters like incandescent bulbs, improving their efficiency and reducing waste. The innovative design features nanophotonic structures that spectrally filter emitted light, allowing visible light to pass through.
A recent study spanning 40 years examined the 'question-behavior effect,' finding that asking people about performing a certain behavior influences whether they do it in the future. The effect has been shown to last more than six months after questioning, making questioning a simple yet effective technique to influence human behavior.
A new study suggests that lifting the EU pigswill ban could save around 1.8 million hectares of land by using heat-treated food waste as pig feed, cutting land use by 21.5% and feed costs in half. The model also shows that swill feeding is a safer alternative to grain-based diets.
Researchers from Syracuse University found that atmospheric argon and neon are trapped in minerals formed at ultra-high pressure depths within the Earth's mantle. These findings indicate that noble gases can be recycled from the atmosphere into the deep Earth, and back to the surface again through a process known as forearc recycling.
QUT scientists uncover the secrets of Aussie 'resurrection' grass, a native species that can survive droughts by selectively culling its own cells. The research reveals sugar manipulation and autophagy as key survival mechanisms, potentially leading to the development of stress-tolerant crops like chickpea.
Researchers are developing an electrochemical separation process to remove challenging elements like cesium and strontium from used nuclear fuel. This approach aims to create less waste, separate out nuclear waste for better management, and extend the life of electrolyte solutions.
A new study reveals that the loss of large land animals, whales, and seabirds has disrupted the global nutrient cycle, with a significant reduction in phosphorus transport. The researchers calculate that the ability of these animals to transport nutrients around the globe has been reduced to just 6% of its former capacity.
A new study reveals massive declines and extinctions of whales, fish, seabirds have damaged the planet's nutrient recycling system. This has weakened ecosystem health, fisheries, and agriculture.
Data from New Horizons' flyby of Pluto suggest the dwarf planet has been frequently resurfaced by erosion or crustal recycling. The study also reveals large regions of differing brightness on Pluto's surface, carved out by structures similar to terrestrial glaciers.
Researchers in Vietnam found that silicon fertilization increases rice plant strength, resistances, and grain yield. The study also showed that recycling silicon through straw decomposition maintains high Si levels for multiple crops.
A national nitrogen budget for Denmark shows significant reductions in nitrogen emissions from agriculture, but other sectors like energy production and transport remain major contributors. New initiatives, such as organic farming expansion and electric vehicles, aim to further reduce nitrogen losses.
Shigeki Watanabe has developed a novel ultrafast technique called 'flash-and-freeze' to visualize nerve cell activity on a rapid time scale. The technique reveals that vesicle recycling in neurons occurs through two mechanisms, an ultrafast one and a slower clathrin-dependent process.
Researchers discovered rapamycin prevents Parkinson's disease by boosting cellular clean-up via up-regulation of a protein called TFEB, increasing lysosomal autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. This breakthrough challenges current dogma and presents new opportunities for drug discovery.
Researchers at Cardiff University have devised a way of increasing the yield of biodiesel by using the waste left over from its production process. By recycling crude glycerol, they can convert it into methanol, which is then used as a starting reactant to create more biodiesel.
Researchers discover that altering protein recycling complexes in human cells enables cancer cells to resist treatment with proteasome inhibitors, a class of drugs used to kill cancer cells. The discovery highlights the potential for targeting this resistant state to develop new cancer treatments.
Researchers at UNIST developed a simple process to treat waste coffee grounds for methane storage using sodium hydroxide and heating. The process produces a stable carbon capture material with environmental benefits of recycling a waste product.
A recent study assesses e-waste recycling's economic potential and finds it worth billions of euros, with potential revenues expected to rise from €2 billion in 2014 to €3.5 billion by 2020. The recycling industry also aims to reduce environmental pollution by conserving virgin resources.
A pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center warns that recycling older electronic equipment poses a lead poisoning risk to children. Elevated blood lead levels have been detected in two cases, highlighting the importance of preventing take-home exposure to hazardous chemicals and substances.
Research at Rockefeller University discovered that the recycling of a specific type of histone, H3.3, is essential for forming connections among neurons and facilitating learning throughout life. The study found that increased turnover of H3.3 is linked to neural activity and gene expression changes necessary for synapse formation.
Researchers discovered that actin polymerization powered by the Arp2/3 complex is essential for forming and moving autophagosomes. The formation of 'actin comet tails' propels these compartments toward lysosomes for final processing, enabling cells to recycle misfolded proteins and damaged organelles.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new method to recycle rare-earth magnets, simplifying the process and increasing efficiency. The technique uses standard laboratory equipment and can separate neodymium and dysprosium from used electronics in just minutes.
Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a new method to separate rare earth metals europium and yttrium using UV light. This process recovers over 95% of the europium from a liquid mixture, making it an efficient alternative to traditional methods.
Research highlights silicon's importance in rice production, enhancing resistance to pests, pathogens, and abiotic stresses. Recycling of rice straw is crucial for maintaining silicon availability, particularly in regions with low soil weathering.
Diran Apelian, Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor, received the Audubon Society's Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal for his work on sustainable resource recovery and recycling. The medal recognizes his efforts to encourage cooperation between engineers and environmentalists.
A recent study by Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind Parkinson's disease. The researchers discovered that disruption of a developmental mechanism, Lmx1b, leads to the death of dopamine-producing neurons, resulting in the symptoms of PD.
A UBC study reveals that individuals with an hourly wage mindset are less likely to undertake eco-friendly behaviors that require only a few seconds or minutes of extra effort. Researchers recommend equating environmental behavior with self-interest and adjusting billing practices to promote sustainability.
A new study published in PNAS reveals that the type of fish and its body size can predict nutrient recycling rates in ecosystems. The researchers analyzed data from over 900 fish and invertebrates in a diverse marine community, finding that body mass and taxonomic identity are key factors in predicting these rates.
A new study found that large protected areas in the Xingu River Basin have limited the negative impacts of expanding agriculture on the region's water cycle. The research combined fieldwork, satellite data, and dynamic vegetation models to simulate the water budget, finding that deforestation has had a small effect on the area.
Researchers aim to target autophagy pathway, a key enzyme involved in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. They plan to use high-throughput screening facilities to identify new inhibitors of Ulk1, a critical on-off switch regulating the pathway.
Scientists have developed a two-step recovery process to recycle rare-earth metals from old electronics, making it easier and more cost-effective. The new process uses liquid metal extraction and vacuum distillation to recover valuable rare earths like neodymium and dysprosium.
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have identified a new cellular pathway affected in cystinosis, which could lead to new drug treatments for reducing or preventing renal failure. The study found that concentrations of LAMP2A, a lysosomal surface protein, were down by 50-80% in cystinotic cells.
Researchers found that autophagy, a cellular recycling process, helps eliminate a molecule called A20 that blocks the immune response. By removing A20, autophagy allows for a quick release of emergency signals, boosting anti-fungal immunity.
Research suggests that super-Earths can maintain oceans for at least 10 billion years due to a planet-wide recycling process. This finding implies that older super-Earths are more suitable for searching for complex life.
Researchers found that lung cancer cells sever protein ties, allowing them to break loose and spread. Targeting this process could stop lung cancer from spreading by keeping cells stuck together.
A new study has identified high levels of drinking among low-income older adults, with spikes in consumption around social security check dates. The study used a novel approach involving bogus recycling bins to assess alcohol consumption and found that medical conditions like diabetes may reduce drinking rates.
Researchers analyzed water produced by hydraulic fracturing and suggested non-chemical treatments for recycling. They found that produced water contains potentially toxic compounds, but most minerals originate from ancient connate waters, posing little concern.
Researchers developed a technique that uses fluorescence lifetime measurements to automatically sort plastics, reducing contamination levels and increasing re-use efficiency. The new method can process up to 1.5 tons of plastic per hour, meeting industrial scale requirements.
Cancer cells can divide even without sufficient oxygen by manipulating the protein HIF-1alpha. Lysosomes play a crucial role in regulating this process by marking or degrading HIF-1alpha. The study suggests that inhibiting Cdk2 may be an effective treatment strategy for certain types of cancer.